Speaking to Qatar Tribune, Kellogg’s has said that its corn flakes must have been improperly stored to deteriorate so quickly:

“The presence of higher levels of peroxide in low-fat food products, such as Corn Flakes, can lead to a quickening of the deterioration process resulting in unusual odour or taste. This can be triggered by the product being stored poorly or at higher temperatures than what the guidelines dictate. However, the product is perfectly safe to eat,” Kellogg’s said. “We aim to have fresh stocks of Kellogg’s Corn Flakes following the Consumer Protection Department’s green light,” the company said.

The Ministry of Business and Trade has urged Qatar’s supermarkets to remove Kellogg’s Cornflakes from store shelves, saying it is unfit for human consumption.

In a statement on its website, the Ministry’s Consumer Protection Department said it tested samples of the cereal following complaints about its taste:

As a result of the analysis conducted on the aforesaid product in light of a complaint against it, the ministry proved the existence of ‘rancid’ in some samples, and accordingly the ministry withdrew these products for being invalid and harmful to human consumption.

Other analyses revealed that a number of other samples contain high degree of peroxide substance, a clear-cut evidence of the existence of rancid in these products, thus their lack of quality and validity to be left available for human consumption.

A product goes rancid when its fats, oils or other lipids chemically decompose, sometimes resulting in undesirable odors and flavors.

The CPD did not name the cereal, but a Carrefour employee told Doha News that Kellogg’s, an American brand, is already being pulled from stores across the country.